Zacharias Topelius (; 14 January 181812 March 1898) was a Finnish author, poet, journalist, historian, and
rector of the
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki (, ; UH) is a public university in Helsinki, Finland. The university was founded in Turku in 1640 as the Royal Academy of Åbo under the Swedish Empire, and moved to Helsinki in 1828 under the sponsorship of Alexander ...
who wrote
novels related to Finnish history. He wrote his works exclusively in Swedish, although they were translated early on into Finnish.
Given name
Zacharias is his baptismal name, and this is used on the covers of his printed works. However, "he himself most often used the abbreviation Z. or the form Zachris (), even in official contexts", as explained in the ''National Biography of Finland''. Zachris is therefore the preferred form used in recent academic literature about him.
The Finnish form of Topelius' first name is Sakari(as) ().
Life and career
Early life
The original name of the Topelius family was the Finnish name Toppila, which had been Latinized to Toppelius by the author's grandfather's grandfather and later changed to Topelius. Topelius was born at Kuddnäs, near
Nykarleby
Nykarleby (; , ) is a town in Finland, located on the west coast of the country. The town is situated in Ostrobothnia (administrative region), Ostrobothnia, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population is approximately , while the Jakobstad sub-re ...
in
Ostrobothnia, the son of a physician of the same name (), who was distinguished as the earliest collector of Finnish folk songs.
His grandfather,
Mikael Toppelius, was a painter noted for his murals and altarpieces in churches in Ostrobothnia.
As a child, he heard his mother, Katarina Sofia Calamnius, sing the songs of the Finnish-Swedish poet
Frans Michael Franzén
Frans Michael Franzén (9 February 1772 – 14 August 1847) was a Swedish people, Swedish-Finland, Finnish poet and clergyman. He served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Härnösand.
Biography
Franzén was born in Oulu (), Northern Ostrobothnia ...
. At the age of eleven, he was sent to school in
Oulu
Oulu ( , ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Oulujoki, River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately , while the Oulu sub-regio ...
and boarded with relatives in the possession of a lending library, where he nurtured his imagination with the reading of novels. He was given a Christian upbringing that came to characterize his entire life.
Study in Helsinki
He came to
Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
in 1831 and became a member of the circle of young nationalist men surrounding
Johan Ludvig Runeberg
Johan Ludvig Runeberg (; 5 February 1804 – 6 May 1877) was a Finnish priest, lyric and epic poet. He wrote exclusively in Swedish. He is considered a national poet of Finland. He is the author of the lyrics to (''Our Land'', in Finnish) whi ...
, at whose home he stayed for some time. Topelius became a student at the
Imperial Alexander University of Finland in 1833, received his master's degree (''cand. philol.'') in 1840, the
Licentiate degree in history in 1844 and his PhD in 1847, having defended a dissertation titled ''De modo matrimonia jungendi apud fennos quondam vigente'' ("About the custom of marriage among the ancient Finns"). Besides history, his academic studies had for periods been devoted both to Theology and Medicine. He was secretary of 1842–1846, was employed by the university library 1846–1861, and taught History, Statistics and Swedish at the school during the same period.
Becoming a professor
Through the intervention of a friend,
Fredrik Cygnaeus, Topelius was named professor extraordinary of the History of Finland at the university in 1854. He was made first ordinary professor of Finnish, Russian and Nordic history in 1863, and exchanged this chair for the one in general history in 1876. He was
rector of the university from 1875 until 1878, when he retired as Emeritus Professor and received the title of ''verkligt statsråd'' (Finnish: todellinen valtioneuvos, Russian: действительный статский советник; literally "state councillor", a Russian honorary title).
Focus on writing
Quite early in his career he began to distinguish himself as a lyric poet, with the three successive volumes of his ''Heather Blossoms'' (1845–54). The earliest of his historical romances was ''The Duchess of Finland'', published in 1850. He was also editor-in-chief of the from 1841 to 1860. In 1878, Topelius was allowed to withdraw from his professional duties, but this did not sever his connection with the university; it gave him, however, more leisure for his abundant and various literary enterprises. Of all the multifarious writings of Topelius, in prose and verse, that which has enjoyed the greatest popularity is his ''Tales of a Barber-Surgeon'', episodes of historical fiction from the days of
Gustavus II Adolphus
Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...
to those of
Gustavus III, treated in the manner of
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...
; the five volumes of this work appeared between 1853 and 1867. Topelius attempted to write drama, too, enjoying the most success with his tragedy ''Regina von Emmeritz'' (1854). Topelius aimed at the cultivation of a strong Finnish patriotism.
He wrote a poem which
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...
used for a composition with a political statement, ''
Islossningen i Uleå älv''.
Together with the composer
Friedrich Pacius, he wrote the
libretto
A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...
(in the style of
Romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...
) to the first Finnish opera: ''Kaarle-kuninkaan metsästys'' (Swedish: ''
Kung Karls jakt'', English: ''King Charles' Hunt)''. Topelius initially thought of writing a trivial entertainment, but having heard extracts from the opera project at a concert in 1851, he realized that Pacius was writing a grand opera on the theme of salvation, following the early Romantic style of
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...
's ''
Der Freischütz
' (Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns, J. 277, Opus number, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Johann Fried ...
'' (1821) and ''
Oberon
Oberon () is a king of the fairy, fairies in Middle Ages, medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania ...
'' (1826). Topelius wrote the libretto in Swedish (though it was translated later by others), but its subject is emphatically Finnish. He also wrote the libretto for ''Prinsessan av Cypern'', set by
Fredrik Pacius
Fredrik Pacius (, ); in German and in Estonian Friedrich Pacius; 19 March 1809 – 8 January 1891) was a German-Finnish composer and conductor who lived most of his life in Finland. He has been called the "Father of Finnish music".
Pacius was bo ...
and
Lars-Erik Larsson.
Death
Topelius died in his
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...
in Koivuniemi, Sipoo, Finland, where he wrote his greatest works. He is buried in the
Hietaniemi Cemetery
The Hietaniemi cemetery (, ) is located mainly in the Lapinlahti quarter and partly in the Etu-Töölö district of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is the location for Finnish state funeral services and is owned by the Evangelical Luthe ...
in
Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
.
Legacy
According to tradition, the modern
flag of Finland
The national flag of Finland, also known in Finnish language, Finnish as the ' ('Blue Cross Flag'), dates from the beginning of the 20th century. On a white background, it features a blue Nordic Cross flag, Nordic cross, which represents Christ ...
was based on a design by Topelius in about 1860.
There was a
small Finnish American village named after Topelius, platted in 1901 in
Otter Tail County, Minnesota, US.
Selected works
* ''
The Tomten in Åbo Castle'', 1849 (, )
* ''
Sov du lilla vide ung'', 1869 (''Trollsländan'')
* ''
Nu så kommer julen'', 1857
* ''Boken om vårt land'', 1875 (''Maamme-kirja'', Book of Our Land)
* ''Vinterqvällar'', 1881 (''Talvi-iltain tarinoita'')
* ''Fältskärns berättelser'', 1884 (''Välskärin kertomukset'')
* ''Läsning för barn'', 1881
(''Lukemisia lapsille'')
* ''Stjärnornas kungabarn'', 1899–1900 (''Tähtien turvatit'')
*''
Sampo Lappelill'' (1860)
Gallery
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Zachris Topeliusat the Lied and Art Song Archive
Zachris Topeliusat the Biographical Centre of the Finnish Literature Society
Zacharias Topeliusat 375 Humanists, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Arts. 20 June 2015.
The childhood home of Zachris Topelius, Kuddnäs, Museum;Swedish language pages
Zacharias Topelius skrifter*
;Books in Swedish, Finnish and English
at
Project Runeberg
Project Runeberg () is a digital cultural archive initiative that publishes free electronic versions of books significant to the culture and history of the Nordic countries. Patterned after Project Gutenberg, it was founded by Lars Aronsson and ...
*
*
*
;Lyrics
''En liten fågel'';Audio
''En liten fågel''on
Victor Records
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...
''Du är min ro''on
Edison Records
Edison Records was one of the early record labels that pioneered sound recording and reproduction, and was an important and successful company in the early recording industry.
The first phonograph cylinders were manufactured in 1888, followed by ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Topelius, Zachris
1818 births
1898 deaths
People from Nykarleby
People from Vaasa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)
19th-century historians from the Russian Empire
Finnish poets in Swedish
Poets from the Russian Empire
Writers from Ostrobothnia (administrative region)
19th-century Finnish poets
Finnish male poets
19th-century Finnish writers
Finnish male writers
Burials at Hietaniemi Cemetery
19th-century Finnish male writers
Opera librettists
Rectors of the University of Helsinki